This motivational poster is mega Pro-AyuKuraKar and Pro-SessAyaInu in the OT3 sense, as I support Kuranosuke Takeda being in a gorgeous three-way relationship with Ayumi and Karan and both Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha being in a strong three-way relationship with Ayame, Pro-ShuHak in the BroTP sense, as I support Shuran and Hakkaku to be the best of friends akin to brothers, and Pro-GinShun in the OTP sense, as I support Ginta and Shunran being in a faithfully romantic relationship.
Take one gorgeous throuple involving a passionately charming lord of a grand castle, one smartly idealistic academic, and a fiercely fiery panther yokai of fire, one formidable throuple involving a powerfully stern dog Daiyokai, his super strong dog hanyou brother, and their courageously determined wolf yokai warrior wife, two wonderful best friends involving a large-and-in-charge panther yokai of thunder and a high-strung yet energetic wolf yokai gentleman who in turn treat each other like brothers, and one romantic couple involving an adorable wolf yokai gentleman and a feistily fun-loving panther yokai of spring and you have yourself a recipe for what I can decree are my most ideal main shippings in the Inuyasha universe, at least where the young adult characters are concerned.
I surprised myself in terms of how I was going to make this work because I did some research on healthy three-way relationships, single dads who adopt and raise their children alone, and couples who have cultivated a healthy relationship throughout the years and have ended up growing old together. My friends, I believe these are the couples who embody what I was looking for and more in spades.
This also correlates to my Inuyasha AU Headcanon of having Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, Ayame, Shuran, Hakkaku, Ginta, and Shunran form a seven-member team of combatants who began as childhood best friends, ended up being guardians to Lord Kuranosuke Takeda, and ended up having Ayumi and Karan as their greatest allies. Therefore, this tight-knit group of seven warriors plus one dashing and mighty castle lord plus two female bodyguards constitute not only the most formidable team all of Feudal Era Japan has ever seen, but also a bond that resembles being in a healthy family environment.
Speaking of healthy family environment, I figured that having my favorite Inuyasha kid characters such as Kohaku, Shintaro, Souta, Rin, Shiori, and Kanna are going to constitute as members of their respective families, specifically as their children, because I figured that Kuranosuke Takeda, Sesshoumaru, Shuran, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayumi, Ayame, Karan, and Shunran shall make wonderful parents for them and shape them up to be the extraordinary people they are today.
So, let us commence.
Kuranosuke Takeda, Ayumi, and Karan: The Royal Family Jewels in the Palace
Kuranosuke Takeda has always lived a solitary life leading Feudal Era Japan and his charisma, strong mindedness, and cognizance have made him valued by the people, especially those of the women.
Before attaining lordship from his father, 5-year-old Kuranosuke was at Ayumi’s christening, for he was going to be betrothed to her. However, being at that age, he was not entirely too sure if he ever wanted to have anything to do with marriage at the time, even when baby Ayumi was cooing at him. Nevertheless, he gave her a little doll as a gift for her.
By the time he was 6 years old, he went to another christening and this time it was that of Karan’s, seeing that she was yet another betrothal candidate. 5-year-old Toran and 4-year-old Shuran were chuckling at how baby Karan was playing with Kuranosuke’s finger. As a gift, he gave little Karan a ruby bib to place around her neck.
As Kuranosuke reached 10, Ayumi reached 5, and Karan reached 4, their three-way bond grew considerably stronger. Sometimes, Ayumi and Karan would fight over Kuranosuke, but he would always assure them that he fancies them both and would love to have them be his wives for life, which made both Ayumi and Karan blush.
Come one springtime afternoon and 12-year-old Kuranosuke was happily married to 7-year-old Ayumi and 6-year-old Karan through the blessings of his father. They were really happy to be married to the point where they would like to have children one day. This got to the point where they visited a Taijiya orphanage and they adopted 3-year-olds Yuji (the name I gave Yuki’s older brother from Episode 43) and Serina, 2-year-olds Taromaru, Shosuke, Suekichi, and Mayu, 1-year-olds Satoru and Suzuna, and 4-month-old Yuki whose mothers unfortunately died from childbirth. They made sure with all of their hearts, minds, bodies, and souls that they will be the best parents to these innocent children.
As their nine adopted children grew, 9-year-old Ayumi gave birth to sextuplet sons by the names of Hidetora, Harutaka, Ieyasu, Nagaharu, Nozomu, and Osamu. One year later, 9-year-old Karan gave birth to sextuplet sons by the names of Tetsuya, Tatsuya, Takuma, Yusuke, Nokoru, and Otaru. By the time Ayumi was 11 and Karan was 10, the former gave birth to triplet daughters Yuriko, Otohime, and Megumi and the latter also gave birth to triplet daughters Mayumi, Yume, and Reiko. Together, Kuranosuke, Ayumi, and Karan have produced one huge and noble family of future lords, yokai connoisseurs, and fire manipulators.
Just because Kuranosuke was a lord did not mean he did not know how to fight, especially when he taught his children Yuji, Serina, Taromaru, Shosuke, Suekichi, Mayu, Satoru, Suzuna, and Yuki various martial arts, the arts of self-defense, and how to apply tactics and not just muscle when it comes to battling a huge array of demons. This has even gotten to the point where Yuji, Serina, and Suzuna grew up to be formidable bodyguards who defended their home with everything they got. Taromaru, Shosuke, Suekichi, and Satoru became wise and gentle lords-to-be who saw to it that they know how to help their allies in battle and ensure peace, serenity, and harmony to be brought in Feudal Era Japan. As for Mayu and Yuki, these two sisters became the healers and the ladies-to-be in the household, thus making sure that nobody gets hurt and that they also learn how to rule with kindness and understanding.
Ayumi passed down her knowledge and expertise of various legends, yokai, and supernatural beings to her children Hidetora, Harutaka, Ieyasu, Nagaharu, Nozomu, Osamu, Yuriko, Otohime, and Megumi and they always made sure they did their research before fully understanding what constitutes any yokai’s being or what happens when a supernatural being comes to play. Ergo, Hidetora, Harutaka, and Ieyasu grew up to be some of the finest scribes Feudal Era Japan has ever seen, Nagaharu, Nozomu, and Osamu grew up to be bards, and Yuriko, Otohime, and Megumi grew up to be fine court actresses who always knew how to entertain the guests with their grace and charisma.
Karan always saw to it that her children started using their fire powers when they were really young. Tetsuya, Tatsuya, and Takuma knew how to create various weapons made of fire. Yusuke, Nokoru, and Otaru knew how to concentrate their fireball powers in order to incapacitate their enemies. Mayumi, Yume, and Reiko were extremely conscientious that fire was not just something to attack enemies but to ensure that their friends and family stayed warm from the cold.
To this very day, Kuranosuke Takeda and his precious jewels in the palace, Ayumi and Karan, and their children continue to be the noble, powerful family they are.
Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, and Ayame: Two Mighty Dads and One Courageous Mom
Toga the Dog General and Choro the Wolf Elder were the greatest and most loyal of friends, as these traits of closeness, loyalty, and compassion being passed on to their progeny, Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, and Ayame.
When Ayame was born on the merry month and day of May 6, 4-year-old Sesshoumaru and 2-year-old Inuyasha were present at her christening and her smile was so wide when she first met them. Little Sesshoumaru and Little Inuyasha tickled her and were playing with her, which made Choro, Toga, Inu-Hime, and Izayoi smile with delight and happiness at the prospect of how these three were about to grow up to be the finest and most powerful triad of warriors the Northern Yoro Tribe and the Western Lands have ever seen.
Two years later, 6-year-old Sesshoumaru, 4-year-old Inuyasha, and 2-year-old Ayame were blessed by Choro and Toga to be bonded together in holy matrimony and in the name of all the dog guardians and all the wolf guardians of the past. This meant that Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha were to Ayame to protect her from all harm and peril as well as respect and trust Ayame as their wife and Ayame was entrusted to Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha to love, care, and show compassion and respect to them as her husbands.
One day when 3-year-old Ayame was in the woods picking flowers and 7-year-old Sesshoumaru and 5-year-old Inuyasha were sparring, The Birds of Paradise were about to attack Ayame until Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha used their claws, fists, and feet to defend her and shred and maul the Birds of Paradise to smithereens. Ayame was so overjoyed and grateful that she smothered her husbands’ faces with kisses and hugs, which left both dog yokai brothers’ faces blushing as red as a tomato. She even dreamed of having children with the both of them and they guaranteed that to her.
Ayame’s wish came true when she gave birth to Sesshoumaru’s sextuplet sons named Motoharu, Matsuhige, Mitsuhide, Masataka, Masaya, and Motomu who had a combination of their father’s and mother’s eye color and their father’s hair color. One year later, Ayame gave birth to Inuyasha’s sextuplet sons named Kenta, Keita, Kuma, Kouta, Kazuhiko, and Kaito who the first three had their father’s eye color, the second three had their mother’s eye color, and all six of them had their father’s hair color. All of their first twelve sons were exhibiting just how strong and powerful they truly were and they were great warriors in the making.
They even adopted Dai, Roku, Kai, Rin, Shiori, and Shinta to be their children, as all of them were orphaned at very young ages. Dai, Roku, Kai, and Shinta were left at the orphanage when the three of them were only three years old and Shinta was only a baby. Rin’s biological family was slaughtered by a horde of bandits and marauders which the sight still left her traumatized. Finally, Shiori’s mother Shizu was about to mortally wounded by Taigokumaru before being saved by the ghost of Tsukuyomaru until her soul ascended to heaven with her husband and Taigokumaru was left to crumble in the dust after one holy touch by Tsukuyomaru. Ever since then, Dai, Roku, Kai, Rin, Shiori, and Shinta have been so blessed to have two strong fathers such as Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha and one brave mother such as Ayame, especially since Dai, Roku, Rin, and Shiori were the catalysts of accepting other races of living beings as their children and brought out a lot more compassion in Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, and Ayame more than any other mortal creature could.
By the time Sesshoumaru was 13, Inuyasha was 11, and Ayame was 9, she had Momoko, Makoto, and Mikoto who had their fathers’ hair and eye color as well as their mother’s ears. One year later, she had one more set of sextuplet daughters named Maya, Minako, and Meika who inherited Sesshoumaru’s and Inuyasha’s eyes and Ayame’s hair color. The youngest daughters were born when Ayame was 11, Inuyasha was 13, and Sesshoumaru was 15 and they were Towa, Setsuna, and Moroha. All of their children were going to grow up to be strong, powerful, and immensely astounding combatants who used their physical and mental strength to get the job done as well as display a fair amount of compassion when someone is troubled, especially since important heirlooms in their family were Sesshoumaru’s, Inuyasha’s, and Ayame’s Goraishi made from the fangs of the male role models they respected in their lives.
Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha, being the super strong, super powerful, and super mighty fathers that they are, have always believed that their children, especially their most beloved sons, needed to ensure that their bodies, their minds, and their souls were well-conditioned and always at the ready for anything and everything. Motoharu, Matsuhige, Mitsuhide, Masataka, Masaya, and Motomu were stealth, lethal accuracy, iron claws, iron fists, and exceptional combat prowess incarnate. Kenta, Keita, Kuma, Kouta, Kazuhiko, and Kaito were magnificent muscles, super strength, superb combat prowess, and beastly brutality personified. Dai, Roku, and Kai have grown up to be the most formidably powerful combatants who used their brawn and fists to ensure a great victory. Even Shinta took tips and tricks from his dad and his older brothers to be as strong and mighty as them. Sesshoumaru always made sure that his sons were physically and mentally fit by having them partake in boxing, kickboxing, wrestling, and judo matches as well as having meditation sessions. Inuyasha was a lot more physical, given how much he uses magnificent muscle, super strength, and Herculean combat prowess to get the job done, by having them participate in weightlifting, boxing, kickboxing, wrestling, and Pankration as well as having a good amount of bodybuilding posedowns to see how well his sons have been developing their muscles. On top of that, Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha have been demonstrating to their sons how to tackle their enemies with their bare hands and strong bodies by showing them various wrestling moves and how to properly lift weights.
Ayame, being the strong, courageous, gallant, and valorous mother that she is, has always seen to it that both her sons and daughters, especially the latter, were physically and mentally aware of their surroundings as well as demonstrate how they can never let their weaknesses get the best of them. Rin and Shiori have gone from loving, innocent, and sweet young girls to formidable and compassionate women who protect their home from all harm. Momoko, Makoto, and Mikoto have grown up to be extremely powerful warriors who use their furious fists, super strength, and amazing agility to incapacitate all of their foes. Maya, Minako, and Meika have grown up to be the fastest warriors whose speed and agility can make their enemies green in the gills. Towa, Setsuna, and Moroha have used their great sense of teamwork, collective strength, and might to overcome all obstacles. Ayame enjoys having marathon runs, kickboxing matches, and boxing matches with her daughters because she wants them to prove themselves worthy, formidable, and powerful than any fighter on earth. She even shows them how to hunt and gather food for their happy home.
The Northern Yoro Tribe and The Western Lands continue to witness just how astoundingly powerful Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, and Ayame and their progeny have become and they show no signs of stopping.
Shuran and Hakkaku: Two Gregarious Single Dads who enjoy Their Friendship and Their Lives to the Fullest
Shuran and Hakkaku are the classic case of two best friends who treat each other like brothers and will never let anyone break them apart. Sure, Shuran is Toran’s younger brother and Karan’s and Shunran’s older brother and Hakkaku is Ginta’s older brother by nine months, but their bond demonstrates just how well they can work with each other. Ergo, Shuran is the brawny, brutish, tough older brother figure to Hakkaku’s hilarious, hyperactive, high-strung younger brother figure.
Shuran and Hakkaku have always been best friends ever since they were babies. As little children, they would always play hide and seek, go fishing, and climb trees. Hakkaku was always amazed at Shuran because despite his huge size, he was agile and could leap great heights. One thing they also had in common was their amazing appetites. Sure, Shuran was a huge eater, but Hakkaku surprised him in more ways than one with his even more massive appetite. Throughout their childhood, they made a pact to make sure that their friendship will persevere until their dying day.
Before Shuran and Hakkaku came of age, they were thinking about how their lives would be growing up. Shuran always pictured himself to be a strong warrior who could use lightning and his super strength to make his enemies tremble and run like fleas. Hakkaku had no such aspirations, as he just wanted to have a simple life and be there for his good friends. Nevertheless, he said to Shuran that he will always be there for him every step of the way.
By the time Shuran was 12 years old and Hakkaku was 11 years old, they were invited by their good friend 14-year-old Kuranosuke Takeda to the Taijiya orphanage to make them understand how much war has displaced a lot of children and made them feel deprived of a home. This experience did manage to stir in some compassion in both Shuran and Hakkaku, even though they never really thought about them becoming fathers. Shuran and Hakkaku decided to make a valiant decision to take responsibility for once in their young lives and be single dads to those who deserve a home because this experience being in the Taijiya orphanage made Shuran acknowledge that there was more to life than glory and conquest and that Hakkaku had a purpose in being more than just someone playing second fiddle to Shuran as his best friend. Therefore, Shuran adopted 5-year-olds Kohaku and Shintaro, 4-year-old Taichi, 3-year-old Souta, 2-year-old Bunza, and 1-year-old Souten and Hakkaku adopted 4-year-olds Asagi, 3-year-old Shion, 2-year-olds Hitomi, Mizuki, Koume, and Kokichi.
Since Shuran ended up being the father of five boys and one girl, he thought it would be great to show his children the love, compassion, and understanding they all deserved as well as a father who can be there for them whenever they were in desperate need. He also made sure that all of his children knew how to fend for themselves and fight for what was right and always saw positive facets in each of his children. Kohaku was prized for his valor and his steadfastness. Shintaro was prized for his loyalty and his compassion. Taichi was prized for his strong mindedness and his courage. Souta was prized for his enthusiasm and his kindness. Bunza was prized for his positivity and his proactivity. Souten was prized for her strength and her outspokenness. As much as he loved his sons, it was his only daughter Souten who was the apple of his eye, as he helped her hone her skills in manipulating lightning and strengthening her overall skills as a fighter. His four sons, Kohaku, Shintaro, Taichi, and Souta, were the closest of brothers and the best of friends to the point where they enjoyed lifting weights, boxing, kickboxing, judo, Muay Thai, and wrestling with their father. Bunza and Souten were the practical jokers of the family and loved playing pranks on their older brothers, but they simultaneously loved and respected them just the same. Together, all of Shuran’s children have grown up to be strong fighters. Kohaku, Shintaro, Taichi, and Souta have grown up to use their collective strength and teamwork to tackle all of their foes. Bunza and Souten went from being lovable pranksters to worthy allies in battle, especially where Souten’s lightning powers were concerned.
Hakkaku ended up being the father of four girls and two boys, in which two of his children were hanyou and four of them were humans. Nevertheless, he had enough compassion, love, patience, and kindness to ensure they had a happy home, as he has learned to accept and love them as his own children and they learned to love and respect him as their father. Hakkaku treasured Asagi’s sense of duty and responsibility, Shion’s kindness and mercy, Hitomi’s cleverness, Mizuki’s spirited attitude, Koume’s sweetness, and Kokichi’s friendliness. He has always made sure that they continued to stay safe and well and saw to it that everybody pulled together to make their home harmonious. All his children know that Hakkaku may not be the greatest warrior ever, but who he was as a father and a provider to their family was someone they could never take for granted, thus having Asagi, Shion, Hitomi, Mizuki, Koume, and Kokichi feel very indebted to have Hakkaku as their father. It seemed like Hakkaku’s protectiveness and good humor has rubbed off on his children, as Asagi has always stepped up her game not only as a protector but also as a fighter, Shion has used his warm personality to protect the ones he loves, Hitomi, Mizuki, and Koume have used their minds and hearts really well to provide for the family, and Kokichi has always seen to it that the family was full of love and positivity.
The icing on top of these two families’ cake is that Shuran and Hakkaku have maintained their everlasting friendship, their epic bromance, and their brand of loyalty has been passed down to their children.
Ginta and Shunran: Everlasting Love Incarnate
If there is one couple who embodies what growing old together feels like, it has to be Ginta and Shunran. It is not just the fact that they look wonderful together, but the trust and appreciation they have for each other that grew from being childhood sweethearts to lovers have shown that true love really does transcend all adversity.
Ginta and Shunran always had something special when they were so much younger. This all started with Shunran’s christening one day on May 8 and 3-year-old Ginta was approaching her crib and tickled her. She let out a huge, gummy smile when she saw his face and 6-year-old Toran, 5-year-old Shuran, 4-year-old Hakkaku, and 1-year-old Karan already knew that Ginta and Shunran were going to have something special when they came of age. Furthermore, Toran even blessed Ginta and Shunran to have a harmonious and happy relationship complete with strong, healthy children.
By the time Ginta reached 6 and Shunran reached 3, they were playing hide-and-seek near the cherry blossom tree and were playing that game for hours. When night fell, Ginta and Shunran made a wish that they would stay together forever and even grow old together complete with happy, healthy children.
Their wish came true when their first set of children were born in the forms of sextuplet sons Tatsuo, Takeru, Minoru, Junichiro, Joichiro, and Sentaro and they were happy little lads who brightened their parents lives with so much sunshine who inherited Ginta’s hair and eyes as well as Shunran’s eye color.
Two years later, Shunran then gave birth to sextuplet daughters named Sakura, Sawako, Setsuko, Sunako, Sora, and Sayaka who inherited their mother’s hair color and their father’s eye color.
As Ginta became 11 years old and Shunran became 8 years old, they were at the Taijiya orphanage where they decided to adopt 3-year-olds Moegi and Satsuki, 2-year-olds Sayo, Saki, and Kanna, and 1-year-old Ai. It was from that moment that they swore to give their daughters a stable home and a lot of love and respect.
By the time Ginta was 13 and Shunran was 10, the youngest sextuplets were born by the names of Kokoro, Katsuho, Kazuko, Kayako, Kiriko, and Kanako who were all mini-Shunrans complete with her auburn hair and her turquoise eyes as well as her laughter. All in all, Ginta and Shunran are the parents who would always ensure that their home life was a happy, healthy, and beneficial home life for them and for their children.
Ginta passed down his enjoyment of fishing, swimming, marathon-running, weightlifting, and wrestling to their sons Tatsuo, Takeru, Minoru, Junichiro, Joichiro, and Sentaro. Each of his sons have grown in strength, stamina, and spunk to the point where they emulated their father’s charm and inner strength.
Shunran passed down her love of flowers, creating mirages, acrobatics, sprinting, and long jump to all of their daughters Moegi, Satsuki, Sakura, Sawako, Setsuko, Sunako, Sora, Sayaka, Sayo, Saki, Kanna, Ai, Kokoro, Katsuho, Kazuko, Kayako, Kiriko, and Kanako. All of her daughters have exuded grace, poise, and agility in everything they do and their attacks show it with flying colors.
To this day, Ginta, Shunran, and all of their children continue to radiate and glow with positivity and beauty.
Conclusion
So, there you have it, folks. All of my ships from the OT3 goodness of Kuranosuke Takeda hooking up with both Ayumi and Karan and Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha having a blissfully healthy relationship with Ayame to the awesomeness of Shuran’s and Hakkaku’s bromance to the sheer beauty of Ginta’s and Shunran’s romantic lovability. I can never ever let go of them and I will always put these ships near my heart.
It also goes without saying that their children shall live prosperous married lives also complete with equally healthy children, thus expanding the bloodline of their parents.
I hope you all enjoyed this and I will see you in the next submission. Take care and stay safe, everybody.
Kuranosuke Takeda, Ayumi, Karan, Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, Ayame, Shuran, Hakkaku, Ginta, and Shunran from Inuyasha belong to Rumiko Takahashi and Sunrise.
